


Through the world

by Blxakenus



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I'm too lazy to do more tags, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, a lot of history, if you don't like it then don't read it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-02-23 15:02:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23713357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blxakenus/pseuds/Blxakenus
Summary: Levi is one of the many children who have no home after the war and he himself must take care of his own survival, even if stealing is included.Meanwhile Erwin is an american officer who lost his arm during the war.Or Levi wants to steal from Erwin and gets captured in the process.
Relationships: Levi/Erwin Smith
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	1. Short Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> This work includes a lot of history facts. These informations come from the internet. I don't want to write right at the beginning of the work Levi's and Erwin's encounter. That's why I first want to focuse the past from the respective people so that one can better understand the situation of the two.

Just after the Allies invaded Germany, chaos reigned. Everything was in ruins. Men who lost limbs searched for their wives and children in the hope that they were still alive. They had nothing. No money, no food and if they were unlucky, their homes were destroyed by the bombs.  
Women hid in the basement in fear that when they go outside, they will be raped. It was a vile sight that children should never be confronted with. But it was not only the women and the men who suffered from the consequences of the war.  
It was the children. The children, who had no home, no parents and even worse, no name. They stand alone in the crowds at the railway stations. They are found somewhere, in a pram on the side of the road, in the rubble of destroyed houses. They arrive at some point in a camp, with a transport from the East, and among the hundreds of adults there is no one to whom they belong. 

The country is destroyed and its families are torn apart. 

Bombings and evacuations, escape and displacement, abduction and captivity have millions of people separated from their loved ones.  
At the end of the war, Germany is a land of seekers.

A third of all families had no housing of their own, countless refugees live in shelters, people cross the highway to an uncertain future, homeless and uprooted. 

And in this fragmented, divided country, families must reunite. Millions of searchers, few of whom knew where to start the search. It was not easy. Parents described their children, desperately trying to name traits to make it easier to find them.  
Meanwhile, older children keep asking the helpers about their memories. They capture every little detail they hold- because it could be the crucial clue that helps staff to help thousands of children in the registers to discover the one, sought by his family. The children’s search file is growing, case by case. Every child a mystery.  
The little-weekly girl who was buried in a ditch in late autumn 1944, with cut pulse veins, barely alive, next to her a suitcase full of infant clothes, on which “Made in Hungaria” was sewn. The boy, perhaps one and a half years old, who was found under the body of on old woman after the bombing of Dresden on the night of 13 to 14 February 1945 in the main railway station while always repeating one word: “Mamutschka” 

And Levi Ackerman is one of the lost children. One of those who don't have a family, a home. Because of his slim physique, he was estimated to be 14 years old, although he is actually 17. But he didn’t correct them, he knew that if he told them the truth, he would be sent off to fend for himself. He couldn’t afford it.  
He could lose so much. He has to take care of Farlan and Isabella. So, he lied, he lied about his age, about his identity.  
He knew that is parents are dead, nobody was searching for him, he was a lost case.


	2. Chapter 1-

His mother was a French seamstress and his father a German scientist. The two met at a party hosted by a mutual friend. Friendship then became love. And after that came the living proof of their love, Levi.

In the beginning they both agreed that they did not want to get married, because they feared that their love affair would not be accepted in the then still hostile relationship between Germany and France. But after Levi turned six it became clear that marriage was inevitable.  
Levi was treated unfairly by the teachers because he was an illegitimate child, a bastard. Levi’s mother was outcasted by society for having a child out of wedlock. They had waited too long. The National Socialist German Workers' Party was gaining more and more supporters and power.  
But Levi’s parents still held hope. They promised each other that when everything had calmed down, they were going to marry. But that never happened. After Hitler was promoted to the position of Reichskanzler everything seemed to go downhill.

He immediately destroyed the foundations of the Weimer democracy. During the election campaign the left-wing parties and the Centre were overrun with terrorist violence and the individual fundamental rights of the Weimar Constitution were overturned by the "decree of the President of the Reich for the protection of the people and the state".  
However, Hitler didn’t stop there. The reason was the burning of the Reichstag on the night of 28 February 1933. The police and their auxiliary bodies were now able to carry out arrests without giving any reason, that is to say without having any evidence.

The entirety of the apartment and the property was observed, as was the letter, post, telegraph and telephone secrecy, the freedom of expression, press, association and assembly. One was monitored 24/7. The walls had ears. Even the neighbours were watching you, spying on you.  
In the Reichstag election on March 5, 1933, the NSDAP missed the absolute majority of the votes despite the great propaganda effort, but with the German National People’s Party (DNVP) it reached just under 53 percent of the votes. The new parliament gave the government the right to legislate without parliamentary consent. Thus, the Weimar Constitution became practically ineffective. Hitler and his party had absolute power.  
Immediately after the transfer of power, the Hitler regime began with the so-called "Judaism" of Germany. The boycott of Jewish shops, doctors' offices and law firms on April 1, 1933, marked the start of the gradual elimination of Jewish life, whose most visible sign was to be the "Reichskristallnacht" on November 9, 1938. After that day, life became hectic.

Levi’s parents decided to help the Jewish people to escape. They got them a fake identity, gave them a shelter. Then one day Levi`s father was offered a new job. He would have to abandon his project and develop bombs – missiles that are highly destructive. Even though all this contradicted his sense of morality he told them that he would tell them his decision the next day. Although both parties knew that a no would not be accepted.  
That was also the day the family made plans for their escape. They decided to take the train to Switzerland. Levi was confused about everything that was going on. He didn’t understand that they suddenly had to leave, why strangers were coming to their home.  
His parents had been behaving strangely for a long time. Nobody explained to him why his mother never went outside. Why she never smiled as much as she used to. Why he had to pack his things out of the blue. Furthermore, he didn’t complain. He knew that if he would complain about minor things, his parents would not react kindly.

He didn’t understand anything. Why he should decide which of his favourite books he had to leave behind. Why he was not allowed to bring his teddy bear with him. The only word that plagued him all the time was why. But he slowly understood. Levi began to connect the pieces of information.  
The star on the stranger’s sleeves who often visited his house was the same as the ones his former classmate had, who suddenly disappeared one day. School in general changed, it was weird. He learned about the German supremacy, their superiority over other races and about their purity, or as they like to call it “Aryan”. Levi found it strange how out of nowhere some classmates of his were humiliated in front of the class about their origin or religion and were seated in the backrow of his class for no reason. How no one was allowed to speak to them because they were Jews. Or how they were forced to wear a star on their sleeve so that everyone could identify them. And one day they didn’t come to school.

At first Levi naively thought they were all sick, even if it didn’t make any sense. After one week he overcame himself and asked the teacher, whether the Jews were still sick. The teacher turned to the class and spoke to them: “Mister Ackerman has an important question and I will share the answer with you all. Mister Ackermann asked if the Jews are sick and if it is the reason why they are not here. The Jews are not sick. They are the disease. They make Germany sick. And that is why we must fight them, as we would do in the case of a disease. That is why we must separate good from evil.”  
But school was as weird as the situation at home. He noticed that his mom and his dad suddenly changed the subject when he was within earshot. Levi even noticed how there were no portraits of the “great Führer” or any swastikas in their house although there were all over the school.  
But Levi was not dumb, even though he was only 10 years old, he noticed things. He was a very observant boy for his age. But that didn’t help him understand the weird behaviour of his parents. He knew that this was not going to be a normal “vacation”. If it was, then why were they covering furniture with white sheets? And why did mom cry? It didn’t make any sense, again. So, when the whole family got into the car with their luggage, Levi asked his parents when they were going to come back home.

His father grasped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white but nobody answered his question. He remained silent because of the tension that lay heavy in the air even though many thoughts were floating in his head. He kept staring outside the window and saw one of the neighbours looking suspiciously at them. The city passed by them, red flags with a black swastika hanging all over the streets.

The journey did not last more than 20 minutes when they arrived at the station. “Chèri, can you watch our bags for ten minutes? Your father and I still have to buy the tickets, be good and wait for us. It shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes, okay? But you have to be really careful, because there’s a lot of money in there and go wandering off, promise me this, Levi “, his mother stared deeply in his eyes as if searching for something. “I promise, maman”, the boy nodded.  
His mother quickly gave him a kiss on his forehead. His father kneeled before him and whispered in his ear: “Don’t worry, little man. If something happens go to your uncle. But I doubt that anything will happen. Love ya, son.” And Levi waited, and waited. He wanted to know what took them so long, but then reminded himself that he wasn’t allowed to abandon his spot.

Resigned he sat on top of the luggage and he could have sworn that more than 30 minutes had passed. When Levi wanted to go see what took them so long, he heard a scream from where his parents were supposed to be. A crowd was forming. Men in uniforms and guns walked in the station. The crowd parted and Levi saw his parents. A man held his mother by her hair while his father was kept on the ground by a soldier.

The newly arrived police officer took in the sight and asked his colleague: “Heil Hitler! What’s the problem?” “Nothing sir, it is just a misunderstanding.”, replied his father on the floor quickly. The man above him didn’t seem to have the same opinion and pressed his face into the dirty ground. His mother suppressed a sob.

“Don’t talk when not spoken to!”, addressed the officer his father “One of their neighbours called us and told us that these two left their house without telling anyone even though the man is getting a promotion tomorrow “, said one to the other. “Well that does sound quite suspicious if you ask me. And where should the journey go?”, asked the officer. “Switzerland, sir”, answered his college. “My, my what a coincidence. Bring them to the police station”, ordered the policeman. Levi could only watch helplessly as his parents were dragged away. He couldn't move out of shock.

And that’s how Levi saw his life collapse before his own eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter has been beta read by @marie_ente


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginning of the Second World War.  
> Just one word: propaganda

Of course, Levi didn’t leave the train station right away. He stood in the middle of the it, next to him the luggage and in front of him the place where he and his parents were separated. At First Levi didn’t want to know at first that he would never see his parents again. But he was confronted with it as it slowly became dark. Fewer and fewer people found themselves at the station and his parents still did not show up. He waited for the moment of his parents coming to him and saying that everything was just a big misunderstanding. But he waited and stayed at the station while sitting on a suitcase. Although his father said that he should go to his uncle if something happened, Levi had no idea where he was, he didn’t even know where his uncle lived. So, he waited and waited till it got dark and he started to feel insecure.

Eventually an older lady noticed that the little boy had been alone and unattended at the station for a long time. 

“Where are your parents, my boy?”, she asked concerned. 

Levi answered desperately: “I don’t know. They were there and all of a sudden they were gone.”  
The woman didn’t seem very surprised but still felt empathy.  
” If you tell me your name, I can help you find your parents."  
” You don’t understand, they’re just gone”, he replied sobbing.  
Helplessly she looked around and tried a different approach: “Who could possible pick you up?”  
“My uncle”, Levi responded.  
“And what’s his name”, she asked for more details.  
“Kenny Ackerman. “ 

Living with his uncle was different from how he lived with his parents. His uncle didn’t care about him. He always comes home late and when he arrived an alcoholic flag followed him. The house was filled with the smell of cigarettes and Levi had to look after himself. But one thing in his life didn’t change: he still misses his parents, their hugs, their supporting smiles and he still has to go to school. But Levi didn’t complain. Even though it was all so confusing.  
In school, he was closely watched by his teachers because they were suspicious why he didn’t come to school without any excuse. But after his uncle lied to his teachers that he forgot to contact the secretary to let them know that Levi couldn’t go to school that day, the teacher treated him like anybody else. School’s weird. Apart from the hatred of the Jews, Levi was now also a member of the Young German People. At first, he was sceptical about everything but after he started participating it was really fun. 

Levi told his uncle about his new membership and his uncle was overenjoyed and Levi received the first supporting gesture since a long time ago. Uncle Kenny then started with how great their “Führer” was and how he will would give Germany what it deserves, being on top of the world, because we, Germans, were the superior race. Jews, on the contrary, were a disease that infects the German people. And what do we do with diseases, my young soldier? We take them apart, see where they come from, and then we obliterate them, so that they will never come back. 

That was the moment where Levi’s last doubts have vanished. All the things that his uncle had told him were things he already knew from school but now after another confirmation, he knew it must be the truth. Because if it was wrong, people would have told him, right?  
Morning prayers turned into words of worship for Hitler, good night stories became a lecture from the Book of the Leader: Mein Kampf. Campfire stories of great adventures turned into stories of adventures of their leader and his hardships.  
In school, Levi learned how to distinguish the Jews. At home, he learned how to fight. 

On September the first 1939 Levi and Kenny were sitting in the kitchen, his uncle enjoying a beer, while Levi placed himself before the radio and set up the antenna. Till the voice of Adolf Hitler was heard. 

“Boy, make it louder, our leader is speaking!”, slurred his uncle.

Hitler gave one of his speeches. His voice penetrated through the rasping of the radio:  
“Poland fired for the first time on our own territory tonight. We’ve been shooting back since 5:45 a.m.! And from now on, bombs will be rewarded with bombs! Whoever fights with poison is fought with poison gas. Those who distance themselves from the rules of humane warfare can only expect us to take the same step. I will fight this fight, no matter who, until the security of the empire and its rights are assured. “

“Heil Hitler, he is right!”, my uncle cried and struck the table with his fist to underline his statement. 

“Just as I am willing to give my life at any time for my people and for Germany, so I demand the same from everyone else. But whoever believes that he can oppose this national command, whether directly or indirectly, falls! Treasurers have nothing to expect but death!  
We all confess with this only to our old principle: it is completely irrelevant whether we live, but it is necessary that our people live, that Germany lives. 

I expect you, as the emissaries of the Empire, to carry out your duty in all the places in which you are placed. You must be a banner carrier of the resistance, no matter what it wants. No one tells me that in his circle or his group or his cell, the mood could be bad. Carrier, responsible carrier of the mood is you. 

I am responsible for the mood in the German people, you are responsible for the mood in your circles. No one has the right to relinquish this responsibility. We do not have to ask ourselves now about any mood, but only about our duty. And the duty is foretold to us as a sacrifice demanded of us that is not greater than the sacrifice made by many generations.  


All the men before us who had to fight for Germany on the bitterest and toughest path, have sacrificed and done nothing but what we also have to do. Their sacrifice was not cheaper and no more painless and therefore no lighter than the sacrifice we are being asked to make.  


I also expect the German woman to fit into this great fighting community in an exemplary manner in an iron discipline. The German youth will, in any case, fulfil with a radiant heart what the nation, the National Socialist state expects and demands of it.”

Levi felt addressed and nodded proudly, happy that he can contribute.

“If we form this community, closely conspired, determined to do everything, never willing to surrender, then our will master every need.  
And I want to conclude with the confession I once made when I began the struggle for power in the Empire. At that time, I said: If our will is so strong that no need can force it anymore, then our will and our German steel will also overcome the need! 

Germany – Sieg Heil! “

“Heil Hitler!” cried Uncle Kenny and drank his beer. 

“Heil Hitler”, Levi replied quickly and turned off the radio.

Uncle Kenny quickly stood up, lighted up a cigarette and grabbed his coat. 

Levi turned around and asked:” Uncle where are you going? “ 

“Didn’t you hear. I have to go to the administer and register myself to the war to fulfil my duty towards Germany! I will be home soon, make yourself food”, responded his uncle and left the house.  
Levi, proud of his uncle, put on his uniform and set off for the parade to also make his contribution to his fatherland.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys.  
> I am a bit insecure about this Chapter. I know there is not much action but I promise there will be next chapter. I wrote this chapter for you to understand how propaganda can affect everyone and change someone’s beliefs.  
> Please leave a kudo if you liked it.


End file.
